No joke: Culinary specialist named nation's best maniacal laugher

A Navy cook showcased his skills outside of the kitchen during a laughter competition held April 6 in San Diego.

Culinary Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Daunte Reed won the category for Best Maniacal Laugh at the first American Laughing Championships. He comes in at the 30-second mark of the video below with a headphone-bending cackle that makes him lose his balance.

Reed, who is stationed at Naval Base San Diego, said his laughter has always drawn stares.

“I’m known for having a distinct laugh, so to speak,” Reed said. “I’ve had this laugh all my life.”

In Afghanistan, Reed honed his laughing skills while serving in the dining facility at Forward Operating Base Wright in Kunar province during an eight-month deployment.

“Every time I was in the DFAC, trust me, I let it out,” he said, “all eyes were on me.”

He said people who had heard him laugh would purposely try to come up with ways to just set him off.

It was a win-win situation, Reed said.

Reed will be leaving the Navy in June, but he’s not planning on making a career out of cackling.

“I just entered [the competition]to say I did it,” he said, adding that his winnings only included bragging rights.

Other categories in the championships included the Diabolical Laugh, the Snort Laugh, the Competitive Laughing Fit, and the one-on-one Laughter Duel. Chicago’s Julie Ostrow was named the overall Best Laugher. For more on the American Laughing Championships visit the Ultimate Laughter Championship site here.